Lou Ferrigno — who will be one of the featured guests at Denver Comic Con this weekend — may be best known for portraying The Incredible Hulk, but it was the giant green beast who inspired the actor as a child.

An avid comic book fan growing up, Ferrigno read issues featuring the likes of Superman and Spider-Man, but it was Bruce Banner’s alter-ego with his larger-than-life size that captured the boy’s imagination. Growing up mostly deaf, he found escape in the stories and looked at the Hulk’s muscles as a means to empower himself.

“I was obsessed with power,” he said. “I used to fantasize being about it.”

Joe Nguyen is the online prep sports editor for The Denver Post. He had prior worked with the Post's YourHub section, covering Adams County and Aurora. His obsessions have ranged from comics books and...

A nerd who is intrigued by all things extraordinary and otherworldly. When he’s not working, he can be found in a small room, playing D&D, pretending to be a three-foot gnome who charges dragons while mounted on a fox.